


A Better Second Date

by asingerofsongs, MayGlenn



Series: Stars and Skies [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Asexual Rey (Star Wars), Cake, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drinking, Drunk Finn, Drunk Rey, Eventual Poe Dameron/Finn/Rey, Finn Has An Eight-Pack, Finn is Totally Shredded, Fluff, Foreplay, Injury Recovery, Let's Go Fly A Kite, Like Seriously They Are Slobs, M/M, Multi, Naked Boyfriends, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Romance, Poe Can Fly Anything, Poe Hairy-All-Over Dameron, Racing, Rey Thinks Boys Are Gross, She Does Like To Kiss Them Though, The First Order Is Shitty, Tickling, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, drunk poe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-29 12:48:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6375379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asingerofsongs/pseuds/asingerofsongs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayGlenn/pseuds/MayGlenn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Poe arrived out of breath in their room. "Come on, you two! I have big plans for my first day of freedom!"</p><p>"Other than the refresher?" Rey asked, looking up from the holochess game she was playing against the built-in computer. Rey didn’t need to work on her strategy, but she didn’t do anything halfway, apparently. </p><p>"Oh, the ‘fresher can wait," Poe said, darting into the bathroom to freshen up briefly, and returning to kiss Finn on the lips. "You guys spent two days taking care of me—so it’s only fair that now I get to spoil you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Though we like all of our stories to be self-contained, this one picks up directly from ["This is Why We Need Therapy."](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6319966) While it's not necessary to have read that first, you might enjoy it! ;)

Poe arrived out of breath in their rooms. "Come on, you two! I have big plans for my first day of freedom!"

"Other than the refresher?" Rey asked, looking up from the holochess game she was playing against the built-in computer. Rey didn’t _need_ to work on her strategy, but she didn’t do anything halfway, apparently. Finn was sprawled across the bed and looked to be deeply asleep, but Rey and Poe's voices woke him up.

He twitched in his sleep and grumbled before sitting up. "I fell asleep?" he asked, and Rey snorted at him.

"Oh, the ‘fresher can wait," Poe said, darting into the bathroom to freshen up briefly, and bending down, groaning only slightly, to kiss Finn on the lips. "You two spent two days taking care of me—so it’s only fair that now I get to spoil you. I may have to call in a favor—where’s that leftover chocolate? We'll need it."

Rey gave him a bemused smile. "It's here. I may have nibbled on it. Sorry?"

"That's fine. Come with me!" Poe said, winding them through the halls to the private entertainment suite. It was used for housing important long-term guests, and it was the only place with a private kitchen that would do. "Don't mess anything up, I'm already in the doghouse with the General. We're here to use the kitchen, and then we're cleaning, and then we’re leaving."

Finn stepped just outside of the kitchen, where he wouldn't be in the way, while Rey ducked around Poe and hopped up to sit on the counter. "What are we doing in the kitchen?" Finn asked, amused at how excited Poe was for whatever he was doing. BB-8 whistled and chirped around his feet, rolling into the kitchen and making beep-boop-beep noises as he avoided getting under Poe's feet.

"You'll see," Poe said, a mad scramble for ingredients. "My mom's recipe. We're—" He turned to Finn. "Can you go ask the cafeteria ladies for three eggs, Finn, please? Come straight back, don't let anyone see you." The larder was otherwise stocked, and he needed to talk to Rey.

"Yeah, I'll be right back," Finn answered, and bounded off for the cafeteria, careful to avoid everyone on his way there. 

Rey watched him go and then looked over at Poe. "What are we making?" she asked, eyeing the things Poe was taking out of cabinets and putting on the counter.

"We're making you a cake," Poe explained, creaming the butter and sugars. "Because I owe Finn a proper date, and I would genuinely like to take you along—and also because I owe you an apology on two fronts." Poe turned around to face her. "First, I entirely misjudged your intentions with Finn, and I misjudged you personally. I honestly thought we'd fight over Finn. I didn't know you were asexual. I am desperately pansexual, so I genuinely thought it was impossible for anyone to _not_ be interested in sex. Which is stupid, now that I actually think about it. So, I'm sorry. I value you, and I recognize your preferences, now, I hope, and I won't bring it up again." He paused, in case she wanted to say anything here.

"A—what?" Rey started to ask, but Poe was already continuing, so she kept quiet and listened.  When Poe turned to face her, she went very still, mostly out of habit, a carefully neutral look on her face. Once she realized Poe was apologizing, though, the neutral look faltered and she smiled gently. "Thank you, Poe," she said, although she muttered it more at her hands in her lap. She wasn't used to apologies, and didn't really know what to do with this one.

"I—sorry. I can explain all that, if you care," Poe said, sensing her confusion. "The labels I have for things, but that's not the point." He clasped his hands, staring at his thumbs. "I also owe you an apology for—well, there's no way to say this that doesn't sound—lame." He coughed. "After Kylo Ren, I'm...uncomfortable with, ah, your force abilities. That's not your fault, or, I guess, mine, but I am beginning to think it colored my behavior toward you and your Master, and I—want to apologize for that, too." Poe looked up, and stepped forward to take Rey's hands. "I'm not afraid of you. I do trust you, and I'm sorry for behaving like I didn't."

Rey smiled at Poe and squeezed both of his hands. "That, I completely understand. Ren was...is…terrifying. Worse than terrifying," she said. When she had nightmares, which happened less often for her than for Poe or Finn, they were frequently about that encounter she'd had with Kylo Ren in the same chamber that had held Poe. Sure, she'd kept him out of her head, but she remembered him trying to claw his way in, to slip through the cracks like engine oil. It still made her shudder—she could only imagine how much worse it would have been if she hadn't had the ability to stop him. "You needn't apologize. If I do something that makes you uncomfortable, tell me. I don't want to frighten you," she told Poe and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek, as she would have done with Finn.

Poe nodded, and after only a moment's hesitation, he pulled Rey into a close embrace. "Thank you," he said, and kissed her shoulder, where her arm bindings didn't quite meet her sleeves. For the first time he felt _safe_ in her arms. "Thank you."

Finn returned with the three eggs to see Poe kissing Rey's shoulder, while they hugged each other tightly.  He grinned and leaned against the doorframe to the kitchen. "All's forgiven, then?" he asked lightly.

Poe straightened up, a flash of guilt (he would get used to this being okay, he _would_ ) before seeing the smile on Finn's face. "Yes," he said. "But the other reason for the cake is for you, Finno!" He took the eggs from Finn's hands and kissed his knuckles. "Because you are the light of my life, my savior, and my remedy." He kissed the palm of his hand this time, and then returned to his cake. "And I have a very special surprise planned later, if the weather holds."

Finn laughed when Poe kissed his hand and went to stand on Rey's other side, where she would be out of the way. "Are we going outside, then?" he asked. Rey rested an arm on his head and he looked up at her with a smile, careful not to dislodge her arm.

 "I dunno, is the weather still awful? A bit windy?" Poe asked, stirring and whipping and mixing madly.

"Probably?" Rey said.

"Good! Then we're going flying!"

"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to be flying anything any time soon," Finn said doubtfully.  He really didn't want Poe to end up back in medbay because he'd overdone it. "What are we flying, exactly?"

"You'll see!" Poe told them, entertaining them with jokes and stories and making them sandwiches while the cake baked (he cut off the crusts and crafted each with love). When the cake was baked and cooled and frosted (and the kitchen cleaned) they snuck back out with the cake in a box that Poe would _not_ let them touch. "I need something from our room," he said, letting them trail along behind.

Finn looked over at Rey as they followed along behind Poe. The cake smelled really good, and they were curious as to why they weren’t allowed to eat it yet. Rey raised her eyebrows at Finn in question as to their current search, but Finn shrugged—he had no idea either. "It must not be a ship, if we're taking the cake with us," Finn said, trying to get some sort of a clue.

Poe had to dig around in his storage locker for a bit, but he eventually found what he was looking for, and marched them outside and up a hill (he slowed and let Finn take his arm going up) and he kept snapping at BB-8 to stop trying to give away their game.

Rey watched Poe strap bright nylon to a large X of synthetic sticks, and to this he knotted sturdy string. "Okay, you two are going to do this so I don't pull any stitches," he announced, the wind whipping his hair about, and Rey kept nudging wisps of her hair behind her ears. "Finn, I want you to hold this rod here—and Rey, you take the kite. Need you to run down the hill as fast as you can and launch it. Just throw it in the air. We want the wind to catch it, and it'll fly for us! Finn, you're in charge of holding on."

Finn held on and nodded to Rey, who took off running down the hill, BB-8 close behind her.  When the kite appeared to be catching the wind, she let go. The kite shot up into the air, surprising Finn and nearly yanking the rod right out of his hands. He tugged on the string, trying to gain control, and the kite flipped into a nose-dive, slamming into the ground near Rey and BB-8.

"That didn't work," he commented as Rey crouched to the ground she was laughing so hard.

Poe laughed. "No, that was great, it usually takes a few tries," he said, stepping around behind Finn to hold the kite string. "When she lets it go, stop the string like this, and give it a tug up over your head, then give it all the slack you can." While he was there, he kissed Finn's neck, just behind his ear. "If we don't get it this next time, you switch with Rey, and you'll do the running."

Finn smiled, relaxing against Poe as he stood behind him. He was not, however, prepared for the kiss behind his ear or Poe's low, quiet voice whispering directions in his ear. He shivered, and then felt himself blush. He turned slightly in Poe's arms so he could kiss the corner of his mouth. Rey, having trekked back up the hill, whistled at the two of them and the laughed when Finn shot her a look. "Try again?" she asked, waving the kite.

"Sure. On my signal," he said, and nodded once she was in place.

Rey ran down the hill, letting go halfway and beginning the walk back up while Finn tried to convince the kite to climb instead of nose-diving again. With the help of the wind, and Poe's guidance, he got the kite far enough into the air that it didn't immediately come down. 

"You're flying!" Rey laughed when she reached them, clapping Finn on the shoulder.

Glad to see there was a red-blooded man in there somewhere who reacted to his teasing, Poe smiled. "Good, good, now let it go slowly," Poe said, teaching Finn how to hold the string without letting it all go at once (still holding him close more than he was doing any actually useful teaching). Soon the kite was quite high, caught higher up where it was calmer and not likely to fall. "Great! You did it! You both did it! Now let Rey have a go at holding it," he told Finn, feeling half like he was babysitting both of them and half like he was dating both of them—both were strange feelings.

Rey took the kite, giggling adorably as it tugged her, and she plopped down next to BB-8, who cooed and nudged her companionably.

Poe slipped his arms around Finn as they watched the kite dance in the clouds.

Finn pretended not to be completely distracted by Poe's flirting for as long as possible, but once Rey had taken over flying the kite, he turned so he was facing Poe and kissed him on the nose.  Then he sat down, pulling Poe down next to him and putting an arm around his waist.

Humming pleasantly, Poe followed Finn to the grass, continuing to move closer, fawning over him, draping over him, tiny kisses dotting across his face and hair and neck and shoulders. He turned, placing one hand between Finn's legs—a suggestion, but not a touch—and finally kissed his lips, relishing in each little gasp that let Poe know this was working. Just as he was pressing Finn back into the grass (and something twinged slightly in his back), he stopped, leaving Finn hungry for more, and with a smile he ducked back. "Cake?" he suggested.

"Hey, but—" Finn said indignantly (okay, maybe he whined a little bit) as Poe stopped kissing him and sat back. He pushed up to his elbows and sighed softly before sitting up all the way. "Forgot we had cake," he admitted, a little embarrassed.

Poe smiled at the blush in Finn's cheeks and couldn't help but give him one last peck on the cheek (he was a huge softie). "Yes, cake. Rey, you can give that to BB-8 to hold if you want a slice now." BB-8 whined a bit, but grasped the kite in one of their pinchers, and gave a hoot of pleasure as the kite nearly tugged them away down the hill.

Poe chuckled and sliced the cake to put on napkins. "The frosting is my favorite part, but hopefully you like it all," he said, giving them each a huge slice and watching as they bit into it (both getting frosting on their noses). It was just as he told Dr. Kalonia: there was nothing like watching someone's first time eating real, homemade chocolate cake.

Finn grinned as he took a bite of the cake, and then his eyes widened in surprise. "It's like... It's like bread, but chocolate!" he said and took another bite.

Rey, too, looked amazed, but was wasting no time eating her slice.

"You have frosting on your nose," he told her, and reached over to wipe it off before she took another bite.

"So do you!" she replied. "I think Poe wants you to let him lick it off—and no, that wasn't me using the Force," she added with a laugh.

Poe licked his lips and raised a suggestive eyebrow at Finn. "I could also offer you another napkin," he said, though his desire was clear in his hungry smile.

In response, Finn leaned forward toward Poe and cracked a wide grin, leaving it to his boyfriend to close the last several inches. Rey cackled at them both, as she hadn't quite expected Finn to choose Poe's help over a napkin.

Poe angled his head so Rey couldn't see as he licked the bit of frosting off the tip of Finn's nose as carefully as he could (hey, he had a careful tongue), and finished it off with a napkin, grinning. He settled back into the grass with his own slice of cake, watching BB-8 with the kite. "Don't try that again just to get my attention," he teased. "I think we're already making Rey sick watching us. Also, you don't have to finish your cake if I gave you too much," he said, but Rey was already done with hers (how did such a tiny girl eat so damn much so damn fast?) and Finn had a few mouthfuls left. He laughed. "Never mind."

"Oh no, don't let me stop you. I'll just be over here asking BB-8 to tell me all the secrets they know," Rey said, resting a hand on the droid's domed head and getting an affirmative chirp in response. "But while you're paying attention, that cake is amazing. Can you teach me how to make it?" she asked.

"Well—yes, and no," Poe said. "It's my mother's secret recipe, so no. But I can generally teach you how to bake a cake, yes. You can do them in all flavors, too. Vanilla, lemon, spice." He smiled. "Glad you like it." Poe set his cake down and rolled to one side. "Come here, Bee, I'll take that for you," he said. "I want to pull it in, it looks like it's getting a little high up there. You know I used to have a kite that read 'Fuck You First Order' but the General made me stop using that one, in case anyone was watching." He turned the handle, drawing it a bit closer to the ground so they could admire more than a speck in the sky.

"I would fly that kite," Finn said with absolute certainty, before looking at his last bite of cake. This one he took time to actually savor, and he may have made a very quiet moaning sound at just how good it was. Or maybe it wasn't so quiet, because when he looked over at Rey, who'd suddenly gone very still, she was enthralled with her hands and the tips of her ears were bright red. “Sorry, Rey," he mumbled, and then dared a glance at Poe.

"Easy now," Poe said defensively, wrapping one arm around Finn, delighted by the moaning noise he made and determined to hear it again—later, and for a different reason. "I've never been so highly praised for my cake in all my life!" he said.

Rey had learned early on that licking your plate clean was not a thing that was normally done, but it didn't stop her pressing crumbs with a finger and then licking them off. She looked over at her two friends, who were practically sharing atomic space, and shook her head fondly. "You're both ridiculous," she told them. It was cute to watch them like this, she had to admit. "Finn, if you don't stop that, Poe is going to need a very cold ‘fresher," she joked as Finn snuck a hand up Poe's back to play with the hair at the back of his neck.

Poe was still gazing dreamily into Finn’s eyes, but “Nah, I’m fine,” he said. “When you’ve waited as long as I have to meet Mr. Right, you learn to be patient.” He took Finn’s hand and kissed his knuckles before easing himself up into a sitting position.

Finn’s face heated up at ‘Mr. Right’ and the kisses on his knuckles, and he squeezed Poe’s hand in response. He would have liked to pull Poe into his lap where he could kiss him more thoroughly, and if they had been in their room, he probably would have. But no matter what he told himself—this was fine, everything was fine, he was allowed to want to kiss Poe senseless—old habits made him wary of initiating what felt like a very public display of affection. He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching, that he’d get them both in serious trouble, even though he knew better. He settled for wrapping one arm around Poe’s waist to pull him closer, instead.

Poe hummed, grinning absently at Finn. “Rey?”

Rey was startled, because Poe wasn’t looking at her. “Yes, Poe?”

Poe finally tore his eyes from Finn to look at her. “You can totally have my mother’s secret chocolate cake recipe.”

Rey laughed, thinking he was joking, and then looked at Poe more closely. “You’re serious? Poe, I wouldn’t _actually_ know what to do with a cake recipe. I’m guessing it’s not like an instruction manual for field stripping a star destroyer.”

Poe snorted. “No...I guess it’s not.” He wondered what Finn or Rey would do with a direction like ‘cream butter and sugar,’ and laughed to himself, but this time it was fond. He felt a swell of love for them, a desire to cream butter and sugar for Rey all day, to help her and Finn learn what they had never been allowed to learn, growing up as they did. “Well, you can ask me any time for another cake,” he said.

Rey grinned. “Now that I’ll take.”

It really was the least he could do, and he shook his head. They watched BB-8 and the kite and ate second slices of cake before the wind whipping around them got to be too cold for Rey and, though she didn’t complain, when Poe suggested they pack it in, she leapt up.

“Yeah,” she said, rubbing her arms briskly. “I was supposed to find Master Skywalker, actually. He did say we should train?...” She looked worried about leaving them, but Poe found himself nodding and waving almost eagerly:

“Yeah, no, that’s great. Finn and I will take this stuff back to the room and take it easy until you’re done. We can meet up for dinner, maybe?”

"Well," Rey said, still unsure—she had missed Finn, after all, and Poe was still hurt and she felt oddly protective of both of them, but looking at Finn's flushed and slightly flustered face made her realize. Being alone with Poe was obviously something that Finn _wanted_ , and she didn’t want to get in the way. “Okay. I’ll come pick you both up for dinner,” she said, and stood up.

Poe and Finn nodded together.

“Yeah,” Finn said.

“Don’t be late,” Poe said, and winked at her.

Rey blushed and hurried back to the compound.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things finally begin to get a little sexy (thus the increase in rating), but this is still a painfully slow burn. 
> 
> Pity Poe Dameron.

 

“Sweet girl,” Poe murmured as Rey moved off, before turning his attention back to Finn. “And as for you, young man," he purred. "Any chance you want to make sure I don't, say, slip or faint in the refresher? Seeing as how I'm still recovering from a traumatic injury, you know, and I'm a reckless flyboy and all that..." He began tracing patterns on the inside of Finn's wrist with a finger.

"Maaaaybe," Finn said thoughtfully, still caught somewhere between 'yes absolutely why are we still discussing this' and 'wait back up what's happening.’ But then Poe started drawing idle designs on his wrist with his fingers, and Finn blinked slowly. "You could do that for as long as you like," he told Poe in a whisper.

Finn's breath hitched deliciously, and no one could convince Poe that he didn't see Finn's pupils blow wide with no change in the light. "You like that?" he whispered with a grin, nudging Finn's sleeve up so he could scratch his inner arm up to the elbow.

Finn very reluctantly dragged himself back to earth and grinned at Poe, still sitting very still so Poe wouldn't stop scratching his arm. "Yeah, I guess I do. A lot," he responded. "’Fresher?" he asked a little shyly.

"Only if you're comfortable with that," Poe said, laying his palm over Finn's wrist to get his focus, since he guessed at the danger of this new power. "I just really want to be...naked with you. And—and I want to try touching you more, like this, if you'll allow me, a-and you can touch me. Hell, Finn, you can do whatever you want with me." He huffed softly. "Is that okay? You make the rules, Finn, you're in control. Of this, of us, I'm just asking. We can say hands off anything a bathing suit covers. I just want...more. And if more means just your arms, you'll have made my day," he said, leaning back on his elbow to give Finn space.

Finn smiled crookedly and nodded, putting his hand over the one on his wrist. "I don't mind you touching me," he said, and then corrected himself, "I like it." And he liked the idea of getting in the refresher together, even if it did fluster him, too. He grinned at Poe and leaned forward to give him a quick kiss. "C'mon, let's get in the ‘fresher."

Poe's grin spread slowly across his face, and he sat up, practically slithering across Finn's lap to kiss him. "Let's go," he agreed, after only a chaste kiss. He tried to leap up as Finn stood and offered him a hand, but his side twinged and he pawed at Finn with a brief moan. "Damn it," he hissed. "Help me up?" he said, grateful when Finn got him to his feet. "Maybe I do actually need you in the refresher," he said sheepishly.

"If you'd stop moving so fast..." Finn said, but stood ready to be leaned on in case Poe needed it.  He picked up the cake and kite and offered Poe his arm as BB-8 trundled after them.

"But then I wouldn't have the excuse," Poe replied, grinning as they made their way back to the room. He could feel Finn trembling slightly, whether with nerves or excitement he couldn't tell.

Once they were in the room, "Would you like me to get naked first?" he offered as Finn eased him gently onto the bed. "There are a few fun ways I can imagine this playing out—you could undress me, I could undress you—I—if I wasn't shot in the side I'd offer to give you a little strip-tease with lots of hip movements," he grinned broadly and easily, "though that may have to wait." He slid his jacket down off his shoulders. "If you don't need a show, I'm still glad to go first," he added, toeing off his boots. Poe was a sucker for foreplay.

"Sure—er—you take the lead?" Finn said, because he hadn't even considered this part, that taking off clothes was somehow a part of it all. He was used to disrobing as fast as possible, either to get into a warm refresher or to put on more comfortable clothes. "We could help each other—because your back, you know,” he said, and then, a little hesitantly, “I don't have an excuse for me.” A small part of him felt a momentary stab of fear, instinct telling him to stop what he was doing before he mercilessly squashed it down and ignored it.

Poe laughed and let his arms fall to his sides as he stood up. "Okay. You do me first, and then I'll undress you," he said, his smile inviting and warm. "I won't even bite," he teased, since Finn looked a little nervous, still—well, confused, maybe. Finn didn’t do nervous (did he?).

Finn chuckled softly, kissing that smile that made him melt a little every time Poe gave it to him. He played a little absently with the hem of Poe's shirt before inching it up over the bandage on his back, not wanting to catch the bandages as he pulled it off. "I don't really know more than the one way of getting clothes off," he admitted when he had Poe's shirt off. He traced one of those tattoos that wrapped around Poe's front and kissed him on the neck.

"Mm," Poe grunted, body electrified by each touch, and he raised his arms so Finn could easily pull the shirt over his head. "Seem to be doing all right to me. You just—keep doing—that," he gasped, giving Finn a breathless, encouraging grin. "Feels good. Being gentle and sexy just comes _naturally_ to you, I think, so I wouldn't worry," he said, watching Finn carefully and waiting (not pushing) for more.

Finn hummed thoughtfully, giving Poe a genuine, albeit a little trembling, smile in return. "That's good, since I'm not even trying," he responded, hands tracing the line of Poe's ribs and then his waist and coming to rest on his trousers. He grinned again before tugging Poe's belt free and going back to the button, which was the only thing keeping the trousers from sliding right off Poe's hips.

Poe bit his lip but he gave a small squeak of anticipation, anyway, and shook his hips enough that his pants slid down, and he grabbed onto Finn's shoulders to step out of them. "Not making you nervous, am I?" He asked, looking down at himself, wearing nothing but (hardly regulation) underwear. Poe was more turned on mentally and emotionally than physically right now, so there was as yet no physical reaction to worry about. He generally preferred his body to be a little more well-groomed than he knew he was right now, so he was embarrassed more than anything, but Finn probably wasn't afraid of body hair. "Want to keep going, or I can finish?"

"No, I'm doing that all by myself," Finn said wryly. If he was nervous, it was no fault of Poe's. Or his own, really. He put his hands on Poe's hips, just above the underwear that definitely didn't look like they went with the uniform (then again, who would care) and then put his head on Poe's shoulder, laughing a little breathlessly. He wasn't at all used to feeling this…everything at once. "Wanna help me?" he asked quietly. He wasn't scared, just...overwhelmed. 

Poe huffed. Guy really was nervous. But that was okay, Poe could work with that. "Yeah," he said. "Kiss me," he demanded, and when Finn's eyes were closed and mouth already occupied, he slid his underwear off and threw them across the room. "There, no problem?" he said, unsure whether to move faster before Finn could get more nervous or whether he should slow down and let him get used to this. "Now your turn. You give me the word," he said, reaching up inside the sleeves of his own jacket to rub small circles with his thumbs over the pulse point of both of Finn's wrists.

"No problem," Finn said, and was relieved to find that he actually meant it. The steady buzz of nerves was subsiding to something slightly different as he calmed down and Poe gave him time to think. And Poe _was_ beautiful naked. "Thank you," he said as Poe rubbed his wrists.

"Thank _you_ ," Poe replied, kissing Finn and gripping the sleeves of his jacket. "Put your shoulders back," he said, and Finn squeezed his shoulder blades together like he had been coming to attention all his life (and that threatened to kill the mood), allowing Poe to pull the jacket off in one smooth motion. "Okay, relax," he whispered, laying the jacket down. "You can close your eyes if you want, or leave them open," he purred, easing the long-sleeved shirt up Finn's ribs and— _holy fuck_ —his perfect abs. "You are—perfect. Like you're carved out of Durosian marble," he breathed.

Finn closed his eyes for just a moment, just to focus on Poe's light touches as he pushed his shirt up. He opened them, though, and laughed softly at the compliment. "It's from tossing recruits around the gym," he responded. "And occasionally cocky flyboys."

Poe laughed, a wicked glint in his eyes as he lifted the shirt over Finn's head, letting his wrists catch in the sleeves, twisting the material, and briefly pinning Finn's hands behind him. "Maybe it's your turn to get thrown around?" he whispered, leaning into Finn's space just enough to see his pupils respond.

"...Y-you can try," Finn said, matching Poe's grin. Two could play at this game—and this time, they weren't in the sparring ring, and he was much less confused about how he was reacting to the situation. "But, um, maybe not for too long?" he added, as his fears caught up with him. It would be a real tragedy if he got freaked out and ruined the whole thing, or turned back into FN-2187...

Hearing the almost desperate tremble in Finn's voice, Poe pulled the sleeves off all the way, letting the shirt crumple to the floor. _Probably a bit soon for your kinks, Dameron._ He kissed Finn's blushing cheek. "Sorry. Tell me if I'm going too far or too fast," he whispered, hands wandering down to where regulation forest camo hugged Finn's hips and his ass in a way that was probably just as gorgeous as seeing him entirely naked—and there they hovered. "We never decided what it's okay for me to touch?" he asked, looking up at Finn again. "This okay?"

"Yeah, that's alright," Finn answered, brushing his hands along Poe's arms and settling them at his elbows. "I trust you. With the touching, I mean. Just...warn me, if you're going to touch my back—my scar, really," he told him. He was still having trouble shaking the instinct to kick anyone who messed with the still-sensitive scar across his back.

"Promise." Poe nodded a little breathlessly, giddy, and he laughed: Finn, I’m definitely not interested in touching your back, he wanted to say, but he was enjoying taking things slow. Bathing suit rules, he set for himself. Finn would probably freak out at the suggestion of a handjob at this juncture, and anyway just the raw intimacy between them felt overwhelming and sweet and wonderful and it was _definitely all Poe needed_. "It's like unwrapping a present," Poe said, unbuttoning Finn's trousers and easing them down his legs. He dropped to his knees, unlacing Finn's boots. "Hold onto me and step out of them," he instructed, trying to ignore how close he was to Finn's cock and reminding himself this was _just a refresher_. Locking eyes with Finn and smiling up at him helped.

Finn stepped out of both boots and trousers at the same time, holding onto Poe's shoulders for balance. He nudged them away with a foot when they were off, since it was virtually guaranteed that if he didn't, he'd contrive to trip over them.

Feeling his own breath speeding up, Poe wasted no time in stripping (the adorably regulation) underwear from Finn, helping him step out of these before getting back to his feet, with help. "Knew you had an eight-pack," he said with a grin. "You've got the muscles all the way down," he said, fingers wandering down his abdominals, but no further. "Beautiful, Finn, you're the most perfect person I've ever seen." He was virtually hairless, and perfectly proportioned (like, _seriously_ proportioned, as much as Poe was trying to not make this weird by staring), and his skin was flawless and smooth but for a few scars. "Thank you, thank you," he whispered, like just Finn's presence was a gift, and it was, and he slotted their mouths together, almost forgetting about the refresher as their chests pressed together. "Gonna—put my arms around you," he warned, fingers exploring his back lightly, stopping as he neared the scar.

Finn relaxed, knees going a little weak and shaky as Poe both kissed him and gently ran his fingers along his back. "You are perfect," he whispered in Poe's ear, shivering just a little when his fingers strayed very close to the scar but then stopped, just resting there gently. "That—it doesn't hurt," he said, surprised. There were days that even his shirt rubbing against the scar irritated it. He hugged Poe a little harder, dropping his forehead to rest on Poe's shoulder, relieved. He felt the muscles in his back—usually tense as if that would protect his scar—shiver a little and then relax, and he sighed into Poe's shoulder before kissing him on the neck and jaw and eventually the lips again. "You're amazing, Poe. And gentle, and kind, and—the best. You're the best person, and I love you," he told him.

"Okay, okay, I've got you, I love you, too," Poe said, blushing at Finn's praise and trembling a bit, too, like this was his first time (first time exploring another man’s body, they weren’t even having sex yet!), moaning as Finn peppered kisses across his face and neck. He retaliated by kissing a line across Finn's perfectly straight shoulder. "Hold onto me, please," he whispered, wanting Finn to feel like he could explore, too. "Want—" he blinked. "Um. Maybe we should get in the ‘fresher?" He grinned sheepishly again.

"Probably we should," Finn said, kissing one of the BB-8-styled designs that ran across Poe's shoulder before he stood straight, dropping his hands to Poe's hips. He brushed his fingers over the edge of the tattoo that followed the curve of his waist, curling over his pelvis and onto his stomach.  He took a single step toward the refresher, reaching for one of Poe's hands as he turned partway.

Poe followed that one step, mesmerized, and then the spell was broken and Finn was just cute but he manage to follow him to the refresher. It was a bit crowded with the both of them, but Poe turned and adjusted the spray so they were both under the water, and he moaned instantly as the warm spray rushed over him, as thrilling as each of Finn's touches. "Hold me?" Poe whispered. "I still could fall or faint or something," he tried, but even he didn't believe it, and he grinned over his shoulder at Finn.

Finn hummed a little suspiciously at Poe, seriously doubting that he was about to do any such thing as fall or faint. "You really don't have to need help to ask me to hold you," he said softly and put his arms around Poe's shoulders. He was flustered for a moment, more aware than he'd been moments earlier at just how close they were standing. He _wanted_ , a sort of bone-deep feeling that he was at a loss to interpret and which only made him frustrated. All he knew was that he hadn’t felt that way before they got in the refresher, or even really until Poe was pressed up against him in his arms, distressingly naked and grinning at him.

Poe grinned, moving slowly and carefully, for both their sakes. "No,” he said slowly. “I guess I just—like it when you hold me.” He stepped nearer, arms going around Finn's waist. He slotted their legs together so he had one foot in between Finn's, their hips pressing together, and he kissed him, gently and chastely. "Don't let go. Want to wash you—and then—you wash me?" Without shoes on, it was a bit more obvious that Finn was just slightly taller, and Poe eased up on the balls of his feet to kiss him again.

"Not letting go," Finn answered, lacing his fingers together where they rested against the small of Poe's back. Poe seemed to be controlling where this was going, and that made Finn feel more comfortable. He could feel the bandage still covering the wound there, and was very cautious not to put any pressure on it. "Yeah—even wash your hair for you, if you want." Finn smiled, tipping his head just slightly toward Poe so he could meet the kiss halfway.

Poe's eyes lit up. "Ooh, lucky me," he said, grinning and melting into the kiss. "Yeah, yeah. Want to wash your hair, too. Want to wash—everything." Not letting himself get too distracted by kissing, he lathered up a sponge and began tracing it over Finn's chest and arms and under his arms. "Turn around? Let me do your back?" Finn looked wary. "I promise, I'll be gentle."

"As long as—" Finn started, and then stopped himself. Poe already knew to be careful, and had already proven he was more than capable of it. He'd just stated as much. Finn didn't need to keep reminding him like he was paranoid or something (even if he sort of was). He smiled apologetically and turned around, trying not to let his shoulders tense up in anticipation of someone touching his back. _Stupid_ , he thought to himself, _stupid, stupid—it’s fully healed, you worry too much, and it's stupid_.

"Easy, easy, I've got you," Poe said, turning Finn over in his arms gently and kissing the back of his neck. "Not gonna touch you til you relax," he purred. When Finn's shoulders finally relaxed, he began sponging up by his neck, circling around so that the scar came last. "You're beautiful from this angle, too. Your shoulders and—your _muscles_ , Finn, damn!" Poe huffed. "Anyone ever told you you've got a cute butt, too?" he said, and when Finn laughed, Poe gently began to wash around the scar, wrapping his other arm around him snugly so he wouldn't move.

Finn relaxed, letting Poe hold him still while he washed his back. "How are you so careful?" he asked, a little drowsily because it turned out that the gentle touch on his back had a similar effect to Poe scratching his arm. "I don't even wash my back where the scar is. I tried once, and I couldn't reach well enough to not hurt myself," he said. Poe’s gentleness was relaxing him, but it was also somehow thrilling. He wanted more of it, only he didn’t know how to ask for it, or what to ask for. He was beginning to feel that the chapters he had skipped in those books—through fear or disgust or old habits or sheer embarrassment, he hadn't really known—held information he now desperately wished he knew.

"I don't think it's me, I'm not doing anything special," Poe said, finally rinsing the area and kissing the back of his neck again. He kept them in that position, hand splayed across Finn's belly to hold him close. "I think it just doesn't hurt if you're not worried about it." He kissed him again. "Here, pop your foot up behind you, hold onto the wall. Want to wash your feet. And cut your damn toenails, I've been lanced twice already in my own bed!" he laughed. 

Finn balanced on one foot, letting Poe grab the other one. Or, that was what he planned to do, but it quickly became clear that his feet were very ticklish, and he kept laughing and pulling his foot away every time Poe touched it. "Sorry," he laughed the fourth time it happened, "It's not on purpose, it just really, really tickles!"

"Finn!" Poe grinned, wrestling with his foot. "Damn it, Finn, hold still!" he cried, barely dodging a wild kick. "Okay, okay, stop! You're a mess," he chuckled, and crouched on the floor of the refresher. "Turn around. Put your foot on my knee, here." He squinted up at Finn as the spray of water rained down his face. "Come here, I won't tickle you, I promise."

"If I accidentally kick you in the face, I want it on the record that this wasn't my idea," Finn commented as he turned and rested his foot on Poe's knee, one hand touching the wall behind him for balance. "I didn't know my feet were that ticklish! Are everyone's feet like that?" It could be good ammunition for sparring—and he had the momentary mental image of tackling Kylo Ren, yanking his stupid shiny black boots off, and tickling his foot until he passed out from lack of breath. He started laughing, and then had trouble stopping, since every time he thought he had himself under control, he'd think of that image again and start chuckling.

"Finn, stop wiggling!" Poe cried. This was supposed to be a romantic gesture, washing his feet, and then it turned out Finn was more ticklish than anyone Poe had ever met. "No, no, you're more ticklish than normal, I think," he giggled, trying to wrestle with his toes as Finn dissolved into laughter. "What are you laughing at?"

“Ren—what if he's—" he paused to take a breath, "What if he's this ticklish?" he asked, and then dissolved into helpless cackling. "You could tackle him, steal his shoes," he lost it temporarily and took a deep breath to finish what he was saying "—and tickle him half to death." If he hadn't already killed the romance of the moment with his ticklish feet, he'd probably succeeded by mentioning Kylo Ren—but Poe had asked, and it was hilarious, as far as Finn was concerned. He'd take any reason he had to laugh at that bastard, even if it was an imaginary reason.

 "Oh force, Finn, you're ridiculous!" Poe said, trying to keep a straight face, but he cackled. "Give me your other foot. We should put you in charge of tactics. Next time, no death run on the Starkiller base, just, what, you, me, and Rey? She could take off his shoes with the force and—no, this is too silly." He shook his head, trimming the toes on Finn's other foot before releasing him. "You're too silly, you’re doing this on yourself next time,” Poe laughed. “Come here and kiss me."

Finn smiled: of course he was perfectly capable of trimming his own toenails, and for Poe’s health and safety he probably should. "But first we need to send all the stormtroopers comfortable mattresses and good chocolate, remember?" Finn asked, still laughing as he bent down to kiss Poe. "Then they'll either be asleep or too busy fighting over chocolate to bother us!"

When Finn crouched down to meet his eyes, Poe smiled at him like he couldn't believe his luck. "You're right, that's the plan," he said. "Stars, I love you, Finn. No one else in the whole world is like you." He rested his hands on Finn's bare knees and kissed him again. "Are you ticklish here?" he asked suddenly, giving his thighs just above his knees a squeeze.

Finn yelped and flailed when Poe squeezed his legs, slipping and toppling over in the refresher. He avoided kicking Poe in the face or anywhere else, but one of his feet caught on Poe's as it slid out from under him, and he ended up in a heap almost in Poe's lap, his legs awkwardly tangled with the one of Poe's that he'd caught his foot on.

"Oh, kriff, Finn!" Poe cried, not expecting a reaction like that, and expecting even less to somehow end up wedged in one corner of the refresher on his side with Finn draped with his face right in front of his cock.

Neither moved for a moment.

"Are you okay?!" they asked at the same time, and Poe nodded.

"Yeah. Kriff. I need a bigger refresher. Or to not screw around while in it." He carefully extricated himself until they were curled up in opposite corners (okay, he hadn't meant for things to proceed to schlongs in faces yet) pressed knee-to-knee. "Sorry. You okay? You're adorable when you're tickled," Poe said, a little breathless. "You want to get out?"

"I'm fine," Finn laughed, careful not to slip as he stood up. "I think this was meant to be reciprocal—your turn," he said with a grin, "If you’re not too tired, anyway. We can do it another time if you want to rest." Poe had only been out of medbay since this morning, after all, and he hadn't exactly been conserving his energy.

"Help me up," Poe said, stealing a kiss when Finn helped him to his feet. "I'm all yours," he declared with a cheeky grin. "I may shave, but—and you have to do my hair last," he said with a blush. "O-or I can do it." He looked down, then up with a laugh. "You really weren't supposed to know my secret until at least the third date!"

"That grin, Poe..." Finn said, and bent to give Poe a gentle kiss that lasted for several moments. There it was, the thrill of desire, again, and he didn’t have to ignore it or feel guilty about it. And now the desire was beginning to take on a definite shape, and that shape was Poe Dameron, naked. Finn retrieved the sponge and put more soap on it, and started at Poe's neck, alternating between looking into his eyes and watching the tattoos as the sponge passed over them. He worked his way down each arm to Poe's hands, washing those gently as well. He kissed the palm of each as the soap rinsed off them. "Love your hands," he told him, wondering if it was awkward. But he did, he loved that Poe could go from death-gripping the yoke on his X-Wing to touches so soft Finn could barely feel them, but knew they were there. He went back to Poe's shoulders and then washed his chest, and down his stomach. Poe may have been thinner and more wiry where Finn was built broader, but, "You're—beautiful? That's not the right word. You—" he paused, thinking very hard. Then he smiled. "You are beautiful, but like your X-Wing is beautiful," he said, hoping that made any sense.

Poe gave a giddy, breathless laugh. "You sure know what to say to a guy." He beamed, and gave Finn a kiss to hide how red his cheeks and ears and chest were. "Thanks." He took Finn's hand that wasn't occupied with the sponge and intertwined their fingers. "I think I like my hands best this way," he said, knowing it was cheesy but hoping an ex-stormtrooper wouldn't be picky (all of Poe’s lines were cheesy, anyway).

"Definitely," Finn agreed, and raised their hands to his lips so he could kiss Poe's fingers. "Want me to wash your back?" he asked, trying not to sound like he really, really wanted an excuse to wash every last one of those tattoos across Poe's perfect back.

 "Oh, stars and skies, yes," Poe moaned, already beginning to melt from Finn's attention and wondering how much of this he could possibly take. He kept Finn's arm around him as he turned, a bit shyly: "I think I may need you to hold me up." This time he wasn't just saying that.

Finn took a better hold of Poe, but realized that with him hugged to his chest, he'd never be able to wash his back, though he tried a few angles. "You want to sit down? I can't really wash your back and hold you up at the same time. Or we can skip the rest, rinse off, and go rest, if you’re tired," he suggested gently, carding his fingers through Poe's hair just once—he had a feeling if he did it any more than the once, he really would have to drag Poe out of the refresher and carry him to bed. Poe’s reactions were difficult to gauge, because Finn wasn’t sure if Poe’s knees were shaking because he should still be in medical or for the same reason that Finn’s heart was pounding in his chest and his cheeks felt perpetually hot. Was this what love was?

" _No._  Please," Poe blurted out before he could come up with a less needy way to say that. This was precisely the part of the fantasy that had got him through two days in medical, and his legs were not giving out on him now. After telling himself firmly to stop being so dramatic, Poe let go of Finn's hand and leaned both elbows against the refresher wall, and said over his shoulder: "I'm fine, please don't stop. It feels really, really good." He flashed Finn a cocky grin for better effect.

"Okay, okay, relax," Finn laughed, holding both hands up as if to profess innocence. “Easy.” Poe saying that Finn made him feel good made Finn giddy. "I'm not going anywhere. Not stopping." He rubbed the sponge back and forth across Poe's shoulders, and then down his ribs on his uninjured side. "Is it sore?" he asked, rubbing up and down Poe's spine but going no closer to the wound on his back.

"Nah," Poe lied, "but the bandages are supposed to stay, so you don't need to wash there." He turned back halfway and smiled. "Thanks. This feels—all of it, with you, here—it feels really good."

“Good. I—was worried I wasn’t doing it right. But it makes me feel good to do this, too,” Finn said, surprising himself with his response. Finn washed carefully near the bandages and then kissed the back of Poe's neck and over to his jaw, grinning at the scratchy stubble on Poe's jawbone. "Do you have to shave? I kind of like this look on you," he purred in his ear.

Poe touched his face. "I should," he began, but caught something in Finn’s glance that made him rethink that. He smiled a bit tiredly. "If you don't mind it, buddy, I'll leave it."

"Mind it? I think it makes you look like a hero in one of those holovids you've shown me," Finn said, smiling. He nuzzled behind Poe's ear and gave him another kiss. "We really should get out of the refresher before you fall over," he said, his voice a little scratchy as his breath caught in his chest at that sleepy smile.

Poe blushed, melting a bit more at each endearment. "Okay, okay. Gotta wash my hair. Think there's still bacta in it," he said, getting a palmful of shampoo and working it roughly through his curls. He couldn’t let Finn do this, as much as he wanted to. He was going to fall asleep or—or else things were going to proceed way faster than Finn was clearly comfortable with (there was, at least when he was younger and less restrained, a hair-petting-to-fucking-against-a-wall switch somewhere in Poe’s brain that he was still worried might get flipped, and _Maker_ , he just wanted it to be _perfect_ for Finn and that had absolutely _nothing_ to do with Poe’s own predilections). "Also a haircut,” he said to distract them both. “I need a haircut. You have a hairy boyfriend, Finn, you okay with that?"

Finn knit his brow together when Poe started washing his hair, disappointed that he didn’t get to do it himself. He had a very definite weakness for Poe’s reaction to having his hair petted, liked that something so straightforward, that he could not possibly mess up, could make Poe so blissfully happy, but before he could protest or offer it was over.

Poe rubbed his face and stood under the spray to finish rinsing off. It was definitely for the best that Finn didn't wash his hair because this way, he could probably stave off sleep until normal resting hours with enough caffeine. "We've been neglecting Rey long enough, but Finn," Poe said, shutting off the water. "Thank you for that. All of that. Thank you."

“I feel like I should be thanking you!” Finn laughed, giving Poe a quick hug before they could both dry off and put their clothes back on. 

Poe shook his head and kissed Finn, grinning easily, the heady spell from before broken by the sudden barrier of clothing. “Well, we can both be grateful. That’s the goal.”

...

Since Poe didn't want to sleep (which was ridiculous) they waited for Rey and BB-8 and then went to dinner so that Poe could say hi to his pilots and reassure them that he wasn't dead. He insisted on sitting next to Snap so he could bother both him and Jess, who sat across from him.  Finn saw him falling asleep, but since he'd insisted on eating dinner, he just let him go until he fell asleep against Snap's shoulder, to everyone's amusement.

"Finally. He's been fighting it all afternoon," Finn said, and Jess laughed.

Rey helped him get the sleepy pilot to his feet and the three of them managed to get back to the room with no problems. They settled Poe on the bed and Rey went into the bathroom. "Poe. Hey. Wake up and get your clothes off," Finn said, assuming his choice of words would get Poe's attention, even if he meant it innocently.

Poe was really tired, but he snapped awake at that. "You gave me decaff, didn't you?" he accused petulantly.

"Yeah I did," Finn laughed.

Rey squeaked from the bathroom. "Okay, where do we get more towels?" she demanded. "The floor is _swimming_.”

"Oh, sorry," Finn said, embarrassed at how distracted he had been before that he hadn’t, apparently, cleaned up after himself.

"Supply, down the hall," Poe mumbled, pointing, and Rey stomped to the supply room. When they were alone he leered at Finn. "Can we get all the way naked again?" he asked, and waggled his eyebrows suggestively, but didn't move to help. It was easier to play more lecherous than before when he knew he had no intention of making good on it—or else, this was what he _really_ wanted to do, in a moment of weakness.

Finn rolled his eyes at Poe, having fully recovered from whatever confusing feelings he had been experiencing from before, and started unlacing Poe’s boots, at once worried and excited at the thought of feeling the same things again. But, "No. Do not upset Rey," he warned. He crawled up the bed and poked Poe’s shoulder. "Come on, up, take your shirt off. And your trousers, and put these on," he said, digging around behind the pillows and throwing sleeping clothes on Poe's face.

Poe whined, but with Finn's help he sat up. He managed to tear himself out of his clothes and boots, but rolled under the blankets wearing just his underwear. "Not gonna upset her. Rey's nice," he said, curling up in the spot that was usually Finn's, closer to the wall. "Your fault for giving me decaff," he mumbled.

"Your fault for pretending that sleep is only for the dead," Finn said. Rey came back in and looked at the two of them. "Decaff," Finn repeated to her as she waved a hand at them and wandered into the washroom. The refresher turned on shortly thereafter. Once Poe seemed mostly settled, Finn got up and tapped on the washroom door. "Rey, I'm turning off the lights except for the one by your bed," he told her, and she made an affirmative sound.

Poe was still curled up in his spot when he went back to the bed, so Finn curled up around him, shifting them until his head rested on Poe's chest, smiling when he hummed softly in his sleep. This was good—in a way, it softened the overwhelming want from earlier and made him content enough to be patient. His last thought, before he fell asleep, was that he had a hard time believing anything he’d learned in the First Order that said he shouldn’t love Poe, not when it made them both so happy. By the time Rey stepped out of the washroom, they were both out cold, and she shook her head fondly before going to bed herself.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, Rey, race you back?" Poe said over the comlink, and hooted. It was a week later, and they were in speeders out in the woods, teaching Finn the basics of driving before they moved onto piloting starships. Finn was, as in everything, a quick learner, but now he was riding passenger on the back of Poe's speeder, and Poe was revving his engine dangerously.

"You're on, Dameron!" Rey cackled, putting on her goggles and face wrap. She had picked up calling him 'Dameron' from the other pilots and Poe thought it was kind of cute.

"Please don't crash us into a tree," Finn said, practically begging, as Poe and Rey revved their engines at each other. "Rey, don't you dare crash that thing into a tree," he shouted loud enough for Rey to hear him over the com.

"No one's crashing," Poe said, grabbing Finn's hands and pulling them around his chest. "But you hold on," he ordered, and as Rey sped off he followed, the acceleration making his heart race. He had to come up from behind, and in a more heavily-weighted speeder—his reputation was on the line, but he loved a challenge!

Finn held onto Poe with a death-grip, burying his face in his shoulder for just a moment before he decided he was happier seeing the trees go by. He could see Rey out in front of them, dodging around trees and keeping just out in front of them. They wheeled sharply around a turn and Poe slammed on his brakes, the back of the speeder whipping out sideways before he threw the throttle forward again. The engine revved up and they shot past Rey, Poe hollering at her as they went by.

The race wasn't long, and to be fair Poe knew these speeders better, but they careened into the hangar with Poe and Finn in the lead, though everyone was shouting. He cut the power, leaned back and kissed Finn with a loud smack before they went to pull Rey off of her speeder and attack her with kisses (she seemed to be with kisses like Finn was with tickling).

"Ah! Ew! Gerroff!" she grumbled, but she was laughing as she squirmed between them. "You add insult to injury!"

"What injury, princess?" Poe said, taking her hand and kissing it. "Your injured pride?"

She whacked him in the stomach, because that was more fun than admitting he was a better pilot, and Poe doubled over with an "Oof!"

"You had that coming," Finn laughed, and a moment later was clipped soundly upside the back of the head. "What was that for?!" he yelped. 

"For helping!" she said, still laughing, and finally managed to squirm out from between them.

Finn grabbed for her hand and squeezed it, offering her a bright smile before letting her go.

They logged the speeders back in while Poe explained to the officer on duty that they weren't really _racing_ or doing anything _reckless_ but were practicing for a combat scenario, and because he winked and smiled and was Poe Smoothie Dameron she let it slide without report.

"Come on, guys, let's get some chow," he said, pulling Rey and Finn under each arm and guiding them toward the mess hall.

It was the middle of dinner rush when they got to the mess hall, and they ended up at a table with—no surprise—Jess and several other pilots.  They were joined shortly by several soldiers from Finn's squadron. Between the pilots' age-old 'my starship is better than your starship' argument and the ground troops starting a good-natured argument about whether ground or air was more important, they were the loudest table in the mess hall.

"Wait, Dameron, you _won_?" Karé asked, trading shocked looks with Rey. "Did you cheat?" she asked suspiciously, and Finn laughed.

"What the hell? We get a plucky young Jedi hanging out with us and suddenly my reputation is nothing?" Poe laughed. "Of course I didn't cheat!"

"Funny, you have a reputation for cheating—"

"Ah-ah: _winning_ ," he corrected, crunching on some frogs. "There's a difference."

Snap messed up his hair. "Best pilot in the galaxy," he said, and Poe ducked out of the way with a growl.

"Hey! Watch the hair! I've got a date tonight, probably! Finn, do we have a date tonight?"

"Sure, but I've seen you in medbay after you haven't bathed for days, so I wouldn't worry about your hair if I were you," Finn responded, and Snap laughed, ruffling up Poe's hair again.

Next to Finn, Rey spoke up, having already inhaled her food. "You know, Finn, I'm not sure you have any room to speak. Of the two of you, one was unconscious in medbay for—what was it, Poe?" she asked, leaning past Finn to look down the table at Poe.

"Seventeen days, but I wasn't counting," Poe said, and let them laugh before he took Finn's hand. "And after all that, he _still_ had better hair than me!" This time the laughter was mixed with _Awws_ and _You are such a kriffing sap, Dameron._

They realized rather belatedly that Luke Skywalker had approached the table. "Officer on deck!" Poe said, and everyone but Rey snapped to their feet.

"Ah, I wish you'd stop doing that," Skywalker said with a wry grin, to which Poe replied with a cheeky wink. "As you were, please. Rey, could I see you briefly?" he said, and moved off. Rey got up and followed after him.

Finn was surprised when Rey returned just moments later. "That was fast. Everything alright?" he asked her, and she shrugged one shoulder as she sat back down next to him. 

"Master Luke says we're leaving tomorrow," she said. "Not forever, just—a few weeks, or something, probably." Finn narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure out if she was really as okay with it as she sounded, or if she was pretending not to be bothered for the benefit of other people at the table.

Poe would never forgive himself for being briefly _pleased_ at this news: for the past week he and Finn had had time to explore and touch and kiss in the refresher, but sleeping together—aside from the kind of sleeping together they were already doing—was still, well, a bit weird with her there. It had nothing to do with her, of course, and more the fact that he and Finn still had things to work out between them, but...

But Poe had also grown actually, genuinely fond of Rey, in his own right. He had a lot more in common with her than Finn—she was someone he could talk easily about gearhead geekery with, and she was wicked and mischievous in ways where Finn was only sweet and rule-abiding, which was kind of refreshing, if he was honest with himself—and her saying she was leaving felt like a punch in the gut. "A few weeks?" he repeated. "Classic Skywalker, vague as shit." He put his elbows on the table and leaned in, wagging a finger in her direction. "Okay, if he looks like he's going to take you on his next twenty-year soul-searching mission—"

" _Poe_ ," Rey said, but the message was received.

"Okay, fine,” he grumbled. “Just don't stay too long.”

They stayed a while longer at dinner, sharing more than a few beers before staggering back to their room.

Nobody thought of it as Poe’s room anymore.

Finn was having a few balance issues by the time they made it back to the room, so he promptly went to the bed and flopped down on it. But then he couldn't see Poe or Rey, and Rey was leaving tomorrow, so he didn't want to lose track of her. Oh, but he could still hear her. That was okay.  He stared at the ceiling for a few moments. "Poe, why is everything spinning?" he asked finally.

"Because I'm drunk," Poe laughed, and then snorted. " _Sorry_! I mean you're drunk. I think we are both—tipsy." He lay back on the bed, one boot off and one boot on, and stage-whispered at Finn: "I think Rey's drunk too!"

"Am not! Jedi are not supposed to—" and well, she seemed more steady than them, but her hiccup gave her away, and the boys dissolved into laughter.

Poe rolled on top of Finn, wrestling him into his arms.

"Hey!" Finn yelped, "You're not a blanket, Poe," he scolded, but then wrapped his arms around him to give him a hug, because this felt actually quite nice. "Well. You maybe could be. But you're not."

Poe had a wicked idea, digging his fingers into Finn's ribs, delighting as he yelped and squirmed.

"Oh stars, Rey, you have to try this," Poe gasped, unaware that he had begun laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.

"Not fair!" Finn gasped, trying to wriggle away from Poe even as Rey laughed and joined in, practically wrapping herself around his legs and tickling his feet mercilessly—until he managed to snag one of her legs and do the same.

Rey was ticklish, too, they discovered when she screeched and practically fell off the bed, and Poe laughed, pinning them both and tickling their ribs amidst laughter and hollering and screaming. "Hush, hush, _shhhhhhh_ , you're gonna get us all in trouble!" Poe laughed, and waited until they settled, but then Rey grabbed Finn's legs and was tickling his feet again. Poe was finding breathing very difficult, and soon gave up the attack to try to stop laughing.

Finn laughed helplessly, trying to get away from Rey's renewed attack on his feet, and discovered that Poe was within reach. Still laughing, he reached one hand up Poe's shirt to tickle his ribs.

 "Hey!" Poe said, and jumped, indignant. "Hey, stop, I'm not even ticklish!" he said, but laughed and had to grab and pin Finn's wrists to protect himself. "Force, stop that!" He said, retaliating by trying under Finn's arms.

"Ha!" Finn cried triumphantly, "Rey get Poe’s fee— _no not the arms_!" He tried to hug his arms close to him, but had no luck. Rey, on the other hand, left off tickling his feet to go after Poe's, and he decided to declare a temporary truce with her so he could focus on wriggling away from his boyfriend.

Poe let them go, laughing and wheezing, and flopped onto his side. "Oh you guys make me feel—" he was going to say ‘old,’ but "young," he finished with a grin. "C’mere," he told Finn, adding "please. No more tickling," but Finn was already sliding across the bed toward him.

Poe was midway through undressing Finn for sleep when his arm shot out to grab Rey just as she decided to get up (they kept testing him for Force Sensitivity because of his reflexes, though he never showed any other adept tendencies). "Stay with us," he said, breathless, still smiling from their play.

Rey almost declined, like she usually did (they always asked, though, which made her smile), but this time she hesitated. "I'll be in the way," she said softly, looking from Poe to Finn, who was already half-asleep.

Poe shook his head. "Not in the way. Come on, you can sleep right between us. We're...gonna miss you."

Wordlessly he patted his knee, and after a moment, Rey put her boots on his lap. Force only knew why Poe Dameron liked these little displays of affection like helping them get ready for bed when neither of them were _that_ drunk, or couldn’t get their own boots off even if they were, but she indulged him, because she liked the way he smiled when he was allowed to help. Rey watched him, and when Poe caught her at it, he blushed.

"Please stay," he said again. "I'll be a perfect, if clingy, gentleman."

"You're sure," Rey said, and Finn answered her question by putting an arm over her waist and smiling sleepily at her.

"If you want to," he told her, "we'd like you to." He really was going to miss her, even if she wasn't going to be gone as long this time.

"Definitely sure. This way we make sure you don't sneak off without saying goodbye." Poe got his own boots off now and wiggled out of his flight suit. He grabbed extra blankets and came back with two cups of water. "Sit up, you two, drink these, then go back to sleep," he instructed his young charges. "Make you feel better…tomorrow."

Finn had to be poked in the ribs twice to wake him up to drink water, and after he managed it, he snuggled back down under the blankets. Rey, a little less sure of the space she was taking up, huddled up under the covers and attempted not to steal the space Finn was taking up, although she'd seen the boys sleeping in a tangled mess often enough to know that when it was the two of them, they clearly didn't really keep to sides.  The bed _was_ very comfortable, though, and warm, and she was tired, and they were _so gloriously warm_. When Poe finally got under the covers on the other side of her, she smiled at him. "I've never slept in the same bed as another person," she told him softly.

"Is it going to bother you if I do this, then?" Poe asked, tucking one arm under her head and wrapping his other arm around her middle. She was so tiny he could nearly hold her and Finn both. "Want to make sure you're warm, and that you don't forget we're here," he whispered, kissing her hair. His hands had snaked around her to hold Finn too, pulling him close.

"I would never forget," Rey whispered back, "Not ever." She shifted until he was curled on her side, facing Poe but with one of Finn's arms thrown over her ribs. "I maybe should have done this sooner," she admitted with a grin, and gazed into his eyes without a blush. This was actually... _really_ nice, curling up between them. It felt safe, and it was quiet, but she could hear Finn breathing, and Poe, and it reminded her she wasn't alone.

Poe giggled, sliding impossibly closer and tucking Rey's head against his shoulder so that when Finn shifted and spooned close behind her, Finn's head rested on Poe's arm, too. He made sure they were heavily blanketed (Rey got cold easily, and Poe just liked heavy blankets) and he tucked her head under his chin. "Good night," he murmured, feeling his voice reverberate between both of them. By morning Poe’s arm would be asleep, but he couldn't possibly care.

…

Rey woke up early the next morning to BB-8's soft, insistent beeping. She mumbled sleepily at him that she was awake, and yawned, remembering she was asleep between Finn and Poe before she had the chance to jump out of bed and wake them both. They'd rearranged overnight, somewhat. She remembered falling asleep with her head tucked under Poe's chin and Finn behind her. Now, she was tucked against Finn's chest, his arm thrown over her ribs. Poe was pressed against her back, his head pressed to her shoulder blade. She had no idea whose legs were whose, they'd so efficiently tangled themselves together. When she moved as if to start disentangling herself, Finn hugged her closer for a moment before opening his eyes and blinking at her. "Sorry. I have to leave—go back to sleep," she said quietly.

Poe, ever the light sleeper, started up. "Time to fly?" he wondered, knowing it wasn't, not for him, anyway, and he smiled at how mussed Rey's hair was (and he could only imagine his own).

"No, silly," Rey said, and kissed his forehead to get him to lie back down, before she did the same to Finn. Poe pulled his legs to himself and she managed to roll over the top of him and pull her boots on. Poe turned, watching her get ready, fix her hair, disappear briefly into the bathroom, and pack her few belongings. "You take care of yourself," he rasped.

"You take care of each other," Rey replied.

Poe nodded. "May the Force be with you."

"You, too," Rey said, and kissed them each again.

Finn watched Rey move around the room and resisted the urge to pull her back into bed with them when she came over to kiss them each goodbye. "Be safe, Rey," he told her when she left with BB-8 in tow to see her to the _Falcon_ , and she turned and smiled over her shoulder. 

Poe watched the door until BB-8 came back, and since it was still well before even Finn had to be up, Poe turned back to Finn and flopped on top of him, planting sloppy kisses on his cheeks. "Love you," he whispered, curling arms and legs around him.

Finn fell partially asleep before BB-8 came back, but woke when Poe rolled over on him and wrapped him in what felt like a full-body hug. "Love you too," he replied, wrapping his arms over Poe's back and burying his face in his neck.

"We've got two hours," Poe said, snuggling up to him and sighing in delight at Finn's warmth. "And I intend to make the most of them."

In two minutes he was snoring.

Finn chuckled softly at Poe's ability to wake up, have a short conversation, and be out cold again in a number of minutes. He followed Poe back to sleep shortly thereafter, because two hours was not to be taken for granted.

**Author's Note:**

> Note from asingerofsongs: Rey is ace, obviously, if you've been paying attention to our tags. But we (and by we I mean MayGlenn said 'I'll let you decide because you know all this better than me') decided early on that she's not especially averse to sex--she just doesn't feel the need to have it with anyone. Basically what I'm saying is she really doesn't _care_ if the boys are having sex, she doesn't even care if she's in the room when they're having sex, the concept does not bother her at all--which we explore more further on in the series. I've tried my very best to make all of that clear, but since that's a little outside of my experience (I am nowhere near that comfortable with the whole concept) I may make mistakes. I may even make mistakes with the asexuality bit. If you catch one, please kindly let me know (or MayGlenn, but preferably me!). Rey is also _not_ aromantic, which we also explore further on in the series. 
> 
> And on the off-chance anyone is thinking, "How dare you write about asexuality when you've just admitted you don't know everything about it!"-- 
> 
> As soon as I saw _Star Wars_ I realized I had a really serious emotional investment in Rey being ace. Asexuality as an actual orientation is something I've only known of for just over a year, and while I have ample experience _being_ ace, I don't have much experience with how the whole ace spectrum works. I'm very much still learning, but I wanted ace!Rey SO BAD, so ace!Rey it is. So please, be kind. And if you, like me, want to know more about this whole asexuality thing, I very much suggest the AVEN website: [www.asexuality.org](www.asexuality.org).


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